The New Jersey faction of the Genovese crime family is a group of Italian-American mobsters who control organized crime activities within the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey faction is divided into multiple crews each led by a different caporegime who oversees illegal criminal activities in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, loansharking and extortion.Rudolph, Robert The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds 1992. The Genovese crime family's New Jersey faction has maintained a strong presence in the Northern Jersey area since the early prohibition era. A number of powerful mobsters within the New Jersey faction such as Guarino "Willie" Moretti, Gerardo "Jerry" Catena and Louis "Bobby" Manna have each held positions within the Genovese family's administration. From the 1990s until his death in 2010, Tino "the Greek" Fiumara was one of the most powerful caporegimes in the New Jersey faction.
History
Prohibition era Early members of the New Jersey faction were under the control of New York City's Masseria family boss Joe Masseria. In January 1920, Prohibition began and the United States government prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages. With large illegal profits to gain many members became bootleggers and were involved in smuggling large amounts of alcohol into New York's speakeasies. At the peak of Prohibition in 1930, violence erupted between the two rival New York City families. The violence became known as the Castellammarese War, Joe Masseria with his Mafia family battled with Salvatore Maranzano, who was the boss of the Brooklyn-based Castellammarese clan, for control over all Italian gangs in the U.S.Raab, Selwyn. The Five Families: The Rise, Decline & Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empire. New York: St. Martins Press, 2005. On April 15, 1931, Masseria was murdered and replaced as boss by Charles "Lucky" Luciano who ended the war with Maranzano. The members of the Masseria New Jersey faction continued working for Luciano as bootleggers. After a few months on September 10, 1931, Salvatore Maranzano was murdered and Luciano became the most powerful mobster in America. Luciano decided to restructure all the American Mafia families by establishing The Commission instead of having a Capo dei capi or "boss of all bosses".
Moretti and Zwillman When Prohibition ended in 1933, the Luciano family's New Jersey faction expanded into other crimes. The most powerful caporegime in the faction was Guarino "Willie" Moretti who controlled numerous illegal gambling operations in New Jersey. Moretti formed an alliance with Jewish mobster Abner "Longie" Zwillman, who the media refer as the "Al Capone of New Jersey" because Zwillman had once controlled the majority of the illegal alcohol in Newark. The alliance between Moretti and Zwillman dominated illegal gambling in New Jersey.DeVico, Peter J. The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra. Tate Publishing, 2007.
In early 1937, Newark family boss Gaspare D'Amico fled the U.S. after a foiled hit ordered by Joseph Profaci. The Mafia Commission divided up D'Amico's territory among the Luciano (Boiardo crew), Gagliano (Jersey crew), Mangano, Bonanno, Badami family, Profaci and Philadelphia (North Jersey crew) families.
In 1937, family boss Luciano was arrested, which left Frank "the Prime Minister" Costello as the new acting boss of the family. Moretti, a cousin of Costello, was promoted to underboss. Zwillman continued to align with the Luciano family, while Moretti was replaced by Newark capo Ruggiero "Richie the Boot" Boiardo. Zwillman and Boiardo were previously enemies fighting for control of territory in Newark but the two men put there differences aside and focused on controlling illegal gambling throughout Newark. The alliance between Moretti, Zwillman and Boiardo continued to operate peacefully together for years until Moretti became mentally ill in the early 1950s. A contract hit was put on Moretti and he was executed while eating lunch on October 4, 1951.The Complete Idot's Guide to the Mafia. Jerry Capeci. (pg.184)A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno. Joe Bananno and Sergio Lalli. 1983. St Martin's Paperbacks. (pg 172) The New Jersey alliance was weakened but continued to operate between Zwillman and Boiardo.
The murder of Moretti became a key factor in weakening Frank Costello's leadership position within the Luciano family, as his only major remaining supporter was Mangano family boss Albert Anastasia. A few years earlier in 1946, Costello's strongest ally and powerful mobster Lucky Luciano was deported in to Italy. Costello promoted Vito Genovese to underboss, but Genovese believed the family belonged to him and plotted to take control from Costello. After his promotion to Underboss Genovese gained the support of Lucchese boss Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese and Mangano underboss Carlo Gambino. In May 1957, Genovese and his allies ordered the assassination of Costello but failed and only wounded him. The attack made Costello aware that Genovese would never stop and Costello retired leaving Genovese as the new boss.
Catena's command
Under Genovese's leadership, Gerardo "Jerry" Catena was promoted to underboss of the family and also oversaw the New Jersey faction. Catena, an ally of Genovese, depended on Boiardo and Angelo DeCarlo to help run the faction as his capos. In 1957, Genovese gathered the bosses of the top Mafia families for his Apalachin conference, which ended in the arrest of several bosses and the realization of a nationwide network of organized criminals. After the failed conference, Genovese was closely monitored by the government, and arrested in 1959 on a heroin conviction. Zwillman hanged himself on February 27, 1959, upon being summonsed to appear at the Valachi hearings.Joseph F. Sullivan. "Jersey Man in Abscam Case Is Experienced With Inquiries; Conspiracy Charges Dismissed Two Other Directors From Jersey Started as Tire Salesman Need for Advice Questioned Bid-Rigging Indictment Message Termed Death Threat". The New York Times. March 9, 1980. Most of Zwillman's illegal gambling rackets were taken over by members of the Jersey faction.
According to the Valachi hearings, the upper administration of the Genovese family included acting boss Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli, Underboss Jerry Catena and consigliere Michele "Mike" Miranda. Throughout the 1960s, Catena continued to work with the upper administration. In 1970, he was subpoenaed to testify in Newark, but refused to answer any questions and was held in contempt.New Jersey Organized Crime Report: "Singular Accomplishments" Catena was sentenced to five years in prison; after his 1975 release, he retired to Florida.
Provenzano and the Teamsters
Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano became one of the most powerful capos in New Jersey with his connection to Teamsters Union (IBT) leader Jimmy Hoffa. Provenzano served as vice president of the IBT's Union City branch during the 1950s. In that office, Provenzano was able to embezzle money from the union's pension fund, receive kickbacks from construction companies to work on sites, and use his title as a legitimate source of income. Both Provenzano and Hoffa were imprisoned in the mid-1960s for their part in the corruption of the union. In the early 1970s, both men were out from prison. On July 30, 1975, Hoffa disappeared after setting off for a secret meeting with Provenzano and Detroit's Anthony Giacalone. In 1978, Provenzano was convicted of embezzling from the union. He eventually died in prison in 1988.
Manna and the dispute over Atlantic City
In the early 1980s, Vincent "the Chin" Gigante became the Genovese family's new boss and promoted powerful New Jersey mobster Louis "Bobby" Manna to consigliere. Manna would oversee the New Jersey factions with help from his top aid Lawrence "Larry Fab" Dentico. Months later, on March 21, 1980, Philadelphia boss Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno was murdered. The killing prompted discussions and plans by the Genovese and Gambino families to take over Bruno's criminal operations.State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation: 21st Annual Report. 1989. (pg 6-9) The negotiations proceeded without incident until the murder of Gambino boss Paul "Big Paul" Castellano in late 1985. Manna was displeased over John Gotti's unsanctioned hit of Castellano and his accession as new boss, but he continued discussing the takeover of Bruno's operations.
By 1987, the relationship between the two families had deteriorated. Gotti had sent word to Manna that the Genovese family should take over Bruno's North Jersey territory and leave more profitable South Jersey operations in Philadelphia and Atlantic City to the Gambinos. Manna, enraged and insulted over the offer, began planning John and Gene Gotti's assassinations. Making matters worse was, following the murder of Genovese Jersey capo John DiGilio in May 1988, the Gambinos took over the International Longshoremen's Association. The Gambinos placed Anthony Pimpinella of Brooklyn as the new head of the union, allowing them control over the waterfront rackets at the Newark-Elizabeth port. Federal agents received information on Manna's plan to have Gotti killed and informed him on the emerging danger.
In 1989, Manna and soldier Richard (Bocci) DeSciscio were indicted for racketeering and conspiring to murder John and Gene Gotti. It was revealed during the trail that between August 1987 and January 1988, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded 12 conversations in which Manna and other Genovese mobsters discussed murdering John Gotti, Gene Gotti, and New York contractor Irwin Schiff. On August 8, 1987, Schiff was shot in the head while dining in a Manhattan restaurant. During one of the recorded conversations the FBI overheard Manna discussing murder plot for John Gotti, which Manna advised the hitman to wear a disguise as the target area was fairly open. On June 26, 1989, Manna convicted of conspiring to murder the John Gotti, Gene Gotti and Irwin Schiff to murder in aid of racketeering. On September 26, 1989 Judge Trump-Barry sentenced Manna to eighty years imprisonment.
Manna is currently imprisoned in the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, with a projected release date of February 20, 2056. In December 2020, Manna requested a compassionate release, but was denied.
Fiumara and Coppola
In the mid-1970s, Tino "the Greek" Fiumara began representing many of the Genovese family's interests in the New Jersey waterfront, after years of working under caporegime Peter LaPlaca. Fiumara worked closely with Genovese family street boss Frank "Funzi" Tieri, who controlled all of the family's Northern New Jersey waterfront rackets. He also maintained a working relationship with Lucchese Jersey capo Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo. Fiumara gained control of the ILA by paying off Thomas Buzzanca, the president of ILA local members in Brooklyn and New Jersey. The connection to Buzzanca, allowed Fiumara to control Anthony Scotto, the ILA boss of Brooklyn docks. Fiumara's power continued to grow in New Jersey waterfront with the help of Michael Coppola, Michael Borelli and Joseph Doto Jr.
One of Fiumara's biggest rival for control of the waterfront rackets was Genovese family capo John DiGilio. Fiumara was convicted in 1979 of labor racketeering and federal extortion in Newark and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He continued to hold power by promoting soldier Michael "Mikey Cigars" Coppola as acting capo. Coppola received orders from Fiumara throughout the 1980s. In 1989, Manna was imprisoned for planning the murder of John Gotti, and ordering the murder of John DiGilio.